pentetheion

Fragment of a Female Figure, Medieval Art

🪞🐐 Laughter-Loving Aphrodite 🦪🕊

"Of Cytherea, born in Cyprus, I will sing. She gives kindly gifts to men: smiles are ever on her lovely face, and lovely is the brightness that plays over it. Hail, goddess, queen of well-built Salamis and sea-girt Cyprus; grant me a cheerful song. And now I will remember you and another song also." -Homeric Hymn 10 to Aphrodite

"Heavenly, smiling Aphrodite, praised in many hymns, sea-born, revered goddess of generation, you like the nightlong revel and you couple lovers at night, O scheming mother of Necessity. Everything comes from you; you have yoked the world, and you control all three realms. You give birth to all, to everything in heaven, upon the fruitful earth and in the depths of the sea, O venerable companion of Bacchos. You delight in festivities, O bridelike mother of the Erotes, O Persuasion whose joy is in the bed of love, secretive, giver of grace, visible and invisible, lovely-tressed daughter of a noble father, bridal feast companion of the gods, sceptered she-wolf, beloved and man-loving giver of birth and of life, with your maddening love-charms you yoke mortals and the many races of beasts to unbridled passion. Come, O goddess born in Cyprus, whether you are on Olympos, O queen, exulting in the beauty of your face, or you wander in Syria, country of fine frankincense, or, yet, driving your golden chariot in the plain,you lord it over Egypt’s fertile river bed. Come, whether you ride your swan-drawn chariot over the sea’s billows, joying in the creatures of the deep as they dance in circles, or you delight in the company of the dark-faced nymphs on land,(as, light-footed, they frisk over the sandy beaches). Come, lady, even if you are in Cyprus that cherishes you, where fair maidens and chaste nymphs throughout the year sing of you, O blessed one, and of immortal, pure Adonis. Come, O beautiful and comely goddess; I summon you with holy words and pious soul." - Orphic Hymn to Aphrodite 

ORPHIC HYMN #58

TO EROS

I call upon you, great, pure,

lovely and sweet Eros,

winged archer who runs

swiftly on a path of fire,

who plays together with gods

and mortal men.

Inventive, two-natured,

you are master of all:

of the sky’s ether, of the sea and the land,

of the all-begetting winds,

which for mortals the goddess

of grass and grain nurtures,

of all that lies in Tartaros,

of all that lies in the roaring sea;

you alone govern

the course of all these.

O blessed one, come to the initiates

with pure thought,

banish from them

vile impulses.

HOMERIC HYMN #6

TO LADY APHRODITE

Of revered gold-wreathed and stunnning Aphrodite

I shallsing, to whose domain belong the battlements

of allsea-laved Cyprus where, blown by the moist breath of Zephyros,

she was carried over the waves of the resounding sea

in soft foam. The golden-crowned Horae

happily welcomed her and clothed her with heavenly raiment.

Then on her divine head they placed a well-wrought crown,

beautiful and golden, and in her pierced ears

flowers of brass and precious gold.

Round her soft neck and silver-white breasts

they decked her with golden necklaces such as the gold-filleted

Horae themselves are adorned with wherever they go

to the lovely dances of the gods and to their father’s house.

After they decked her body with every sort of jewel,

they brought her to the immortals, who saw and welcomed her,

with open arms, as each one wished

that he might take her home as his wedded wife;

for they marveled at the looks of violet-crowned Kythereia.

Hail, honey-sweet goddess of the fluttering eyelids!

Grant me victory in this contest and arrange my song.

I shall remember you and another song as well.